Leonardo da Vinci’s vineyard is recreated

The vineyard was given to Leonardo by the Duke of Milan as payment for The Last Supper. It was left to two of Leonardo’s servants after his death in 1519 and destroyed during Allied bombing in 1943.

By working with the family who own the plot of ground, researchers were able to dig underneath the garden to discover some surviving vine roots.

After genetic testing at the University of Milan, Leonardo’s vines were revealed to be Malvasia di Candia, a variety which is still grown in an area south of Milan.

Having replanted the vines in a garden in the Corso Magenta, the researchers are hoping to be able to produce the same crisp white wine Leonardo enjoyed.

As Gabriella Bechi from Confagricoltura, an agricultural organisation that sponsored the vineyard, pointed out: “It is just a short distance from the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, where Leonardo painted The Last Supper.”

She added: “It’s a unique way of demonstrating to the world how art and wine in Italy are closely intertwined.”